Back in Texas

In this week's newsletter: re-reading old favorites, drawing yourself out of a funk, and more... 

In this week's newsletter: re-reading old favorites, drawing yourself out of a funk, and more... View this email in your browser Hey y'all, Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week:  After a long 8 months away, I'm back in Texas, writing from a new studio just two blocks south of where I first landed twelve summers ago. Life is good.   I re-read Charles Portis's Masters of Atlantis and liked it even better this time. I also re-read True Grit and The Dog of the South this year, and I'll probably go ahead and re-read Norwood and Gringos, too. (Then I might read his miscellany.) I often wish he had another book to drop on us, but I also sort of hope he's just sitting somewhere in Little Rock sipping whiskey and enjoying being 85.   How to draw yourself out of a creative funk.    The shame of crowd-funding health care. (Why I'm basically a single issue voter.)   The secret to the gruesome sounds in Mortal Kombat: exploding vegetables.   I've loved David Shrigley's work for a long time, but with his recent pieces I feel like he's illustrating my life.   Music: I've been writing to Neu! '75   Movies: I loved William Friedkin's 1977 movie Sorcerer, which has a bonkers making-of story. And I'm glad I waited until I was back in Austin to go see Once Upon A Time in Hollywood at the Alamo Drafthouse. (All movies are better with loaded fries and a cherry Coke!) Watching both those movies, I was reminded of the line from Heather Havrilesky's essay on blockbusters: "Every story now has to involve a threat to the entire globe. This is meant to raise the stakes, but it actually lowers them..."   TV: I re-watched the pilot of Justified, and now I think I might just have to re-watch the whole series.   The survival of Iggy Pop. (If you like punk, do get a copy of Please Kill Me.) Thanks for reading. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, forward it to someone who'd like it or, even better, buy them a book! If you're seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can subscribe here. xoxo,  Austin Austin Kleon is the author of Steal Like An Artist and other books. Subscribe to this newsletter   Copyright © 2019 Austin Kleon, All rights reserved. My mailing address is: Austin Kleon 19885 Detroit Road Box #222 Rocky River, OH 44116 You're getting this email because you signed up for it at austinkleon.com. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Amazon Affiliate links offset the cost of sending these missives.